“Emily Sweeney offers sound advice for reporters looking to improve their reportorial multimedia skills— quick, cheap (often free), easy things for journalists to do that will help them become digital citizens, if not digital natives.”

“When she’s not scaring the shit out of local selectmen with her top-notch reporting, Globe staffer Emily Sweeney heads the New England chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists….Which pretty much means that she spends her free time herding cats.

Still, Sweeney’s NESPJ is on the march, building a scholarship fund, maintaining a website and mailing list, judging journalism contests and mentoring the unfortunate souls who comprise the profession’s next generation…...Pray for her soul.”

- Paul McMorrow Boston’s Weekly Dig

“Emily, a lifelong Bostonian, has been sharpening her videography skills to support the stories she writes (‘for the best newspaper evah,’ she says). Check out some of the cool clips she’s captured from the field — and ask her for tips and tricks that’ll help you do the same.”

Hi. My name is Emily Sweeney. I’m a journalist who enjoys working in all types of media — I write for newspapers and magazines, produce videos for the web, contribute to blogs, and even appear on TV occasionally.

I’ve been a staff reporter at The Boston Globe since 2001, and I’m currently serving as the president of the New England chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Thanks for stopping by....and if you have any questions, comments, or newstips to pass along, please drop me a line.

Greatest Hits: A Mob Tour of Boston

Scattered around Boston’s neighborhoods are places where deals were made, people were killed, and bodies were unearthed. This is a guide to some of Boston’s most notorious mobster landmarks. Read article

Sole Survivor

1/24/08

Forty years ago, most American footwear was produced right here in the United States. Today, 99 % of all shoes and sneakers are made in China. The Alden Shoe Company has bucked that trend; they continue to manufacture their shoes in the United States. I recently visited the Alden Shoe factory in Middleborough, Mass. It’s one of the only shoe factories left in New England. Read article

Gym Class 2.0

1/10/08

Students don’t play dodgeball or tag in school anymore. (Today’s phys ed teachers don’t approve of those games, because players get eliminated and have to sit on the sidelines.) So what do kids do in gym class these days? At Norwood High School, students take power yoga. At Scituate High, golf, horseshoes, and shuffleboard are offered. At Weymouth High School, students learn to square dance. Read article

The Departed

2/13/07

I appeared in Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed, a special feature on the 2-disc DVD edition of the Oscar-winning movie, The Departed. The Los Angeles Times described our little documentary as “...a fascinating featurette that explores the real-life Boston gang that inspired and influenced the film.” To watch a clip, go to mySpeakingpage. (You’ll have to scroll down the page a bit — the clip is at the bottom.)

Moonlighting lawyers

4/22/06

The starting salary for Massachusetts assistant district attorneys is $35,500. Many state prosecutors end up taking second jobs—tending bar, mopping supermarket floors, painting houses, teaching dance lessons, and even driving Zambonis — to make ends meet. Read article

Drag Queen Bingo

3/2/06

Somewhere along the way to its decline, bingo achieved camp status, and entrepreneurial nightclub promoters have been busy putting their own quirky spin on this age-old pastime.Read article

Becoming a saint

1/20/05

The path to sainthood is a an interesting process in which divine intervention meets political bureaucracy. Performing miracles may get you in the door, but there’s also a lot of paperwork involved. Read article